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A voice to be heard

Joe H Henry making his presence known on the East Coast

WENDY ELLIOTT SPECIAL TO ANNAPOLIS VALLEY REGISTER

Joe H Henry hasn’t been part of the Nova Scotia music scene very long, but he’s making some waves.

His song Keep the Fire Burning hit No. 6 recently on the East Coast top 30.

The concert he shared with Wolfville singer-songwriter Sarah Pound attracted the biggest audience yet at the West Brooklyn Speak-easy.

A showcase artist at this year's East Coast Music Awards, Henry was recently announced as an RBCxMusic Emerging Artist at this summer’s Cavendish Beach Music Festival in Prince Edward Island.

Henry has one commanding voice. That’s not unexpected for the son of award-winning Canadian country musician Harvey Henry of Manitoba.

He doesn’t particularly call any place in Canada home.

“I moved a lot as a kid,” he says.

Henry says he learned to play the guitar by osmosis after his father gave him his first instrument. Once he had the basics down, he sought opportunities to “sit in and jam with the old-timers. There were lots of nuggets of wisdom there that I took to heart.”

Moving to the North Mountain in 2020 felt like settling down for Henry, his wife Shelby and their five children, who range in age from 15 years old to 16 months.

“This is definitely where we’re staying. Baxters Harbour is peaceful and there’s good people here,” he says.

Since the move, Henry notes, he’s been 100 per cent concentrating on song writing and performing. Shelby handles many of the other aspects of his career.

Henry says he’s inspired by life and different styles of people and jobs. Co-writing songs is an activity he’s keen to practise.

Joining him soon in a performance in his home community are Ryan Roberts, who is a five-time songwriter

of the year at the East Coast Bluegrass Music Awards, and Pound, who is lead singer of The Sundries.

The new Howlin’ at the Moon concert series will start on Saturday, June 3 at 9 p.m. in the classic white frame Baxters Harbour Community Church.

On June 14, Henry will be performing with a full band at the Carleton in Halifax and he has a full summer of music festival bookings already, including Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Canso on Friday, July 21.

THE ANNAPOLIS VALLEY REGISTER

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2023-06-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-06-01T07:00:00.0000000Z

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